Magical Christmas
by yure-chan
Summary: From unexpected invitations to falling in love, anything can happen on Christmas Day. And Iruka gets to experience it first-hand. A KakaIru X'mas fic.
1. T'was the Week Before Christmas

**A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! It's been a while. But well, here's a festive fic from me. As usual, reviews and comments are welcome!**

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Chapter 1: The Invitation

Konoha was bustling with activity as her people busied themselves with the preparations for the festive season that was just around the corner. Iruka hummed softly as he browsed through the array of Christmas decorations in the general store, trying to pick out new ones for the upcoming party at his home.

"What do you think of this, Iruka?"

The chunin turned at the voice and stared right into a greenish figurine that was held up in front of him as a small frown formed on his face.

"Is that supposed to be a gnome or some sort of a Christmas dwarf, Anko?" Iruka shook his head as he switched his attention back to the array of decorations before him. "That _thing_ is not going up on my Christmas tree."

"You are picky." Anko snorted as she placed the figurine back from where she took it. "At this rate, you won't get everything in time for the party. Speaking of which, how far have you gone in your planning? It seems to me that you have been too busy lately to do any proper planning."

"The planning's going fine. You don't have to worry your head over it, Anko. And with the Academy letting up tomorrow for the holidays, I have plenty of time to prepare for the party." Iruka muttered absently as he dumped an ornament into the basket hanging by his arm.

"Good to hear." The purple-haired kunoichi fiddled with a piece of tinsel as she casted a sideways glance at her friend, a grin on her face. "What about the guests' list? Is it ready?"

"Yeah."

"Sent out the invitations?"

"I will be sending them out tomorrow."

"Will you be inviting _him_?"

The chunin paused, as the words sank in and a tinge of red colored his cheeks. He cleared his throat, trying to find the right words to say. After a few attempts, he merely shrugged and turned away.

"Hey, you did not answer my question, Iruka!" Anko scowled as she trailed after her friend. "Come on now and tell me." She slung her arm across the chunin's shoulder, a low chuckle escaping her throat. "If you are too shy, I can always help you to ask him, you know."

"Shut up." Iruka groused. "I have the ability to do that myself."

"Do you really?" The kunoichi raised her eyebrows in amusement. "From what I recall, the last time you tried talking to him, you can hardly form a coherent sentence. Even for a genius like him, he certainly did have difficulties understanding you then. That was certainly an impression you made on him. Are you sure you want to try something like that again?" Anko leaned in closer, the teasing smirk on her face growing wider. "If the same thing happens again, you will certainly convince him of your ability or lack thereof, to be an academy teacher."

"Shut up!" The red that coloured the chunin's cheeks darkened. He threw a glare at the smirking kunoichi beside him before shrugging off her arm and continued on his way.

"Aw, come on." Anko followed her friend towards the checkout counter where he paid for his purchases. "I'm right, aren't I? Or if you think that I'm not suitable enough to do this inviting job, I'm sure Kurenai would gladly take it on. Her lover is good friends with _him_ after all."

"Stop harping on it, Anko." Iruka groaned. Handing the cashier some ryos, he picked up the bags and turned towards the exit. "Whether it's you or Kurenai, I'm pretty sure that you will just embarrass the hell out of me."

"But we are just being concerned." Anko shrugged. "You can't dawdle about when it comes to asking him out. There are so many parties going around during this period. Someone might just beat you to it!"

"And does it really matter?" Iruka gave a wry smile and stepped out of the shop. "It's not like I even stand a chance against those kunoichi. I've already lost out on the fact that I'm not a woman."

"What's with you?" Anko scowled. "Giving up without even a fight? You've liked him for so long. Surely that's enough to suffice. And besides, gay couples are common in the village. Just look at Genma and –"

"Anko!" Iruka hissed, a blush rising up to his cheeks as he casted a furtive glance at the people staring at them. "You are too loud."

"Who cares? They can listen all they want." The snake summoner snorted. "Anyway, as I was saying, you should just go up to him and invite him to your party!"

"It's not as easy as you think, Anko."Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration and picked up his pace, wanting nothing more than to get away from his nosy friend and back into the comfort of his home. He, however, did not see the two approaching figures as he turned the corner and he ran smacked right into a stronger, broader body.

Iruka landed on his back and he winced lightly as the things in his bag scattered around him. He blinked a few times, trying to get his vision back into focus and when he was finally able to recover, the first thing he saw was a gloved hand reaching out to him. Dazedly, he took the offered hand and felt himself being hauled to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. I didn't watch where I was going. Are you alright?"

It was only at the sound of that all too familiar voice that Iruka finally glanced up at the person whom he had collided into. He found himself staring right into a masked face that he wasn't really prepared to see right at that moment. And it was only when an arm landed heavily across his shoulders that he snapped from his reverie.

"My, Kakashi. What a nice coincidence."

Iruka flinched at the teasing voice beside him and inwardly prayed that Anko would not think of taking any of her own initiatives and start spouting nonsense which will embarrass him further. Kakashi, however, merely raised an eyebrow at the kunoichi and gave her a nod of greeting.

"Good day, Anko." Turning back to the still silent academy sensei, Kakashi peered at him closely, studying him carefully. "Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?"

The chunin offered up a nervous smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, Kakashi-san. I was the one who wasn't looking."

"Maa… It's fine. You look like you are in a hurry to get somewhere." Kakashi's eye arched up in a smile. "Rushing for your duty in the mission room?"

"Certainly doesn't look like it." Another voice joined into the conversation. Iruka turned his head towards the source of voice, only to see Asuma crouching on the ground, studying a reindeer ornament before he slipped it into the bag. Straightening himself, he handed the bag to the academy teacher. "Unless you are going to decorate the mission room with those things?"

Before Iruka could utter a word, Anko chirped in happily. "Those are the decorations for his Christmas party next week!"

Kakashi and Asuma nodded in acknowledgement. The grin on Anko's face grew.

"By the way, Kakashi, Iruka has something he would like to ask you."

The chunin's eyes widened while the copy nin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Kakashi shifted his gaze towards the surprised academy teacher. "So what is it, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka turned towards Anko, a befuddled look in his brown eyes. The kunoichi, however, merely gave him a wink, a nod and a devious grin. And that was all it took for Iruka to understand what exactly the snake user was hinting.

His jaw dropped.

"Iruka-sensei?"

The chunin slowly turned his attention back to the taller man before him, his mind whirling with a hundred different thoughts. First and foremost in his train of thoughts was that, the moment Kakashi and Asuma leave, he would kill Anko, bare-handed. However, right at this moment, the more pressing issue was probably how he should get the question across.

"Ah well…" Iruka fidgeted nervously as he shifted the bag from hand to hand. "Um, well…"

Kakashi nodded, patiently waiting for the younger man to continue what he was trying to say. He turned amused as Iruka scratched the back of his head, his gaze shifting from the left to the right nervously as a tinge of red colored his cheeks.

"I… You know, I was just thinking, um…. If… Well… Uh, next week if you are free, uh, would you um…"

Anko tapped her foot in impatience at her friend's hesitancy. Asuma stared at the usually confident academy teacher in amusement as he tried to hide the laughter that was threatening to escape. Kakashi nodded a few times, trying to encourage the chunin to speak up, while at the same time, trying to comprehend what Iruka was trying to tell him.

"Just get it over with, Iruka." Anko hissed, her patience wearing thin. Iruka glared at the woman in annoyance, before he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

'_You can do this, Iruka!'_

Garnering a little more self-confidence, the chunin turned his attention back to the silver-haired man. "Uh, Kakashi-san, what I was trying to say is that if you are free next week, would you like to come for my Christmas party?"

Anko beamed. Asuma's eyes widened while Kakashi stared at the teacher in surprise.

After a moment of silence, Iruka felt the confidence that he had managed to gather began to ditch him. Trying to prevent further embarrassment on his part, he shook his head and forced a smile.

"Ah well, I was just you know, um, asking… If you aren't available then… Uh, I mean, you are so popular, there would be many others who are asking you to go for their parties." Iruka blushed a deep red. "No, I mean, um…"

"Thanks for the invite, Iruka-sensei. I will be there." Kakashi cut in smoothly, stopping the chunin from babbling further, as his single eye arched up into a smile.

Iruka's head snapped up in surprise. As the words set in, a relief smile formed on his lips.

"Is that so? Um… I will look forward to it then."

A cawing messenger bird circling above them disrupted the conversation between the four shinobi. Kakashi and Asuma raised their heads, staring at the bird for a minute before they turned their attention back to the two before them.

"Well, looks like Tsunade sama's calling for us. We will take our leave then. I will see you around, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi smiled, as he raised his finger in a two-finger salute. Then, weaving his fingers through the seals, he and Asuma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The moment the two jounin were gone, Iruka let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. The conversation that had just taken place replayed itself in his mind as he slowly recovered and he turned a glare towards the beaming kunoichi beside him.

"Anko!"

"What?" The purple-haired lady smiled at him brightly.

"I told you to stay out of this!"

"But he agreed to go, didn't he? You should thank me!" Anko grinned.

An eyebrow twitched. "Thank you? Did you realize how embarrassed I was?"

"But it turned out well." Anko rebutted.

The twitching grew worse. Iruka glared at the kunoichi.

"Anko."

"Yes?"

"Run."

=-=-=-=-=

The smoke cleared as the two jounin landed smoothly outside the Hokage's office. Kakashi turned towards the door, ready to enter the room. Asuma, however, remained at his spot with a thoughtful look on his face.

The silver-haired jounin turned to look at his friend.

"What?"

"It goes exactly the way you want it, isn't it?" Asuma grinned.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You knew he would ask you, didn't you? Was that the reason why you decline the entire village's maidens' invitations to Christmas parties?"

"No." Kakashi shrugged. "I just wasn't interested in those parties."

"And you are interested in Iruka-sensei's party? I don't see any difference in his from all the others."

"Yeah, you are right. There are no differences in the parties." A small smile formed behind the mask. "What's different is in the host."

Asuma stared at his friend for a long moment, before he nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that it would be wiser to avoid probing any longer and leave the other man to his own privacy. Not that he would be able to find out more from Kakashi either way, seeing as how the man is always so god damn secretive about his own life.

Clapping an encouraging hand on the copy nin's shoulder, Asuma sighed and walked towards the door.

"I'm not going to ask what exactly you are thinking. But I seriously hope you have put enough thought in this. Either way, turning down all those previous invitations, how did you know he was going to invite you?"

"I didn't." Kakashi smiled as he stepped up beside the bearded man. "I should say, that was a nice surprise."

=-=-=-= 


	2. It All Started With the Mistletoe

**A/N: Thanks for all the previous reviews! It certainly spurs me to write the next chapter. ^_^ Here it is! Hope you will enjoy it!**

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Chapter 2: The Party

Laughter and happy voices filled the small apartment as its occupants finished up with the last minute preparations required to get the party started. Iruka stood patiently beside the oven, his gaze fixed on the timer on the counter as he silently counted down.

The alarm rang. Iruka bent over and removed the cake from the oven.

"Iruka-sensei!"

The chunin sighed and turned around. Placing the cake on the counter, he raised an eyebrow at the youth before him.

"What is it?"

"Iruka-sensei, what will happen under the mistletoe?"

A blush colored the tanned cheeks. Iruka stared at the blonde incredulously, unable to speak for a full minute. Was this some sort of a trick question? From Naruto's innocent look, he highly doubt that was possible. Choosing his words carefully, he eyed the boy.

"Why do you ask, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "They were saying something about having you under the mistletoe. And then they said something about Kakashi-sensei." The blonde scratched the side of his head, a confused look on his face. "And they were saying it's gonna be fun and all."

Iruka's eyes narrowed. "Wait a second, Naruto. I'm not quite catching you. Can you tell me exactly what you hear and whom you heard it from?"

The Kyuubi vessel pondered for a moment. Then he nodded slowly. "That snake woman was telling us something about having you and Kakashi-sensei under the mistletoe. And she said we are in for a lot of fun if that happens. Um… And…" A frown was formed on the young face. "And she said that no matter what, she will make sure the mistletoe is available for you two."

A brow twitched. Iruka was beginning to get an idea of what was going on and what on earth his friend was plotting. Naruto shook his head and glanced at his teacher.

"So sensei, what will happen? I asked the snake woman. But she said it doesn't concern me. Sakura-chan and Ino asked me to stay out of it."

Iruka paled. "Sakura and Ino?"

Naruto nodded. "They say they will help." A frown. "But what is there to help, Iruka-sensei?"

"Don't ask, Naruto." Iruka took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Damn that Anko! What was she trying to do? Not only is she looking to embarrass him further, she had even gone as far as to corrupt the young minds of his former students?

"Eh? But sensei!"

"Naruto, I will tell you when you are older. Now, be a good kid and help me to bring this cake out to the table."

Naruto huffed as he took the cake from his former teacher. "Fine."

Iruka rubbed his temples, a headache already forming. "And Naruto, get Anko into the kitchen for me. I need her help on something."

The boy nodded. "Sure. I will go get her, sensei!"

Iruka watched as the boy walked out, balancing the cake on his hands. His eyes narrowed.

Anko is going to be in trouble.

A lot of trouble.

=-=-=-=

The party was in full swing. Everyone was joking and fooling around, thoroughly enjoying the festive season.

Kakashi lounged against the wall and glanced around the room in boredom. For the first time in his life, he was early for an event – being only an hour late from the actual starting time of the party – and he was already regretting it. He should have kept to his usual practice and turn up three hours later.

He adjusted the black shirt he was wearing, his silver hair hanging low, covering his Sharingan eye from view. He tugged down his mask and took a sip from his glass, as he surveyed the small crowd in the room.

The only thing that night, which looked even remotely entertaining, was probably Anko. The usually bubbly and loud kunoichi was somewhat subdued and it was amusing to watch how shaken up the snake user would get when someone mentions the word 'turkey'.

"What's with Anko tonight? She's so quiet that it's not like her." Asuma stated, amused.

"Yeah." Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement as he took a drink from his glass.

"Do you know anything, Kurenai?" Asuma turned to his companion. Kurenai eyed the purple-haired kunoichi on the other side of the room, her lips twitching in an amused grin.

"I don't exactly know what happened. But I have a good guess that she annoyed Iruka."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I found her earlier, tied by chakra ropes and hung outside the window, with a mistletoe tied on her head and a loaf of bread stuff in her mouth. I had a hard time getting her back into the room." Kurenai chuckled.

"What did she do?" Kakashi's eye twinkled in mild amusement.

"Who knows? But it's a fact that she's always teasing Iruka. So I guess Iruka is just retaliating."

"She never learns, does she?" Another voice cut into the conversation. All eyes turned towards the newcomer.

"Genma?" Kurenai nodded her greeting as the honey-haired man ambled over. "What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Genma's grin widened. "That there was a living _'Christmas tree'_ hanging off the Hokage's tower last week."

"A living Christmas tree?" Asuma raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yeah." Genma snickered. "Last week, Ibiki was patrolling the area around the Hokage Tower with two of his ANBU. I happened to see him and since I was on standby for requests from Hokage sama, I joined him for a little while. We went to the rooftop, and guess what we saw?"

Kakashi snorted. "I'm sure Anko was doing something again."

"Oh, it was Anko, alright. But I doubt she was actually the one who did something."

"What happened?" Asuma chewed the cigarette that was lying precariously between his lips.

"She was neatly bound up in chakra ropes and a bunch of battery-operated lightings. Her face was painted green, and there were Christmas ornaments hanging off her hair and clothes. The best part was that there was a bauble, the size of a fist, stuffed into her mouth. You should imagine the sight she made with all the lights and ornaments twinkling around her." Genma chuckled.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Asuma's jaw dropped.

"I have never seen Ibiki so amused in my life before. I swear he was desperately holding back his laughter. And those two ANBU guards, they were literally shaking with laughter. The moment we untied her, she was cursing and swearing at Iruka." Genma laughed. "My only regret on that day was that, I didn't bring a camera along. She was so damn lucky that not many people passed that area, or else, she would have been the village's topic for gossip in months to come."

"My, that was certainly a sight we missed." Kakashi let out a low chuckle.

"Definitely so." Genma grinned. "Anyway, how was the spying mission that you two were sent on?"

"What's new? It's just _another_ mission-gone-wrong." Asuma scowled. "They should really think about the credibility of the information they give us. We were lucky this time that we got away with just some minor injuries."

"Let's not talk about this." Kurenai frowned. "Tonight is supposed to be a joyous occasion. So let's not talk about missions and all."

"Right." Genma raised a hand in apology. "My bad. I was the one who brought it up."

Someone from the other side of the room shouted, effectively stopping their topic of discussion.

"Hey, it's time for a dance! Grab your partner, everyone!"

The music was smoothly changed from the previous loud, blaring one into a slower and more soothing pace. Kurenai grinned as she grabbed Asuma's hand and dragged him to the makeshift dance floor.

Genma shrugged and turned to Kakashi. "I will see you later. I'm going to look for Rai for a dance."

The silver-haired jounin nodded and watched as his friend walked away. Stifling a yawn, he wondered if he should just leave now and go back to his home for a good read. After all, there was that new Icha Icha Christmas version that was still sitting on his shelf, waiting to be read.

A light tap on his shoulder brought his attention back to the room. Shifting his glance, he found Iruka smiling at him warmly.

"Glad to see you could make it, Kakashi-san."

The jounin nodded. "A pleasure to be here, Iruka-sensei."

"I hope you are enjoying yourself." Iruka smiled as he leaned against the wall beside the jounin, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

"Certainly am." Kakashi chuckled. "At the expense of Anko."

Iruka stared at the copy nin in confusion. "Huh?"

"I should say, she's pretty amusing to look at tonight." Kakashi fiddled with the glass in his hand, as he watched the couples dancing in the centre of the small room. "I've never seen her gone on for ten minutes without making a ruckus."

"Oh…" Iruka scratched the side of his head, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. Kakashi laughed.

"You should teach me some of your tricks sometimes. It would be useful when I want to get her to leave me alone."

Iruka stared at the older man in surprise. There was a twinkle in that single grey eye that made the chunin broke into a relief grin. "Certainly, Kakashi-san."

The couples were beginning to shift in their direction. Kakashi frowned as one dancing couple edged closer to where he was standing.

"Kakashi-san, I think we are getting in their way." Iruka laughed lightly. "Shall we move to the other corner?"

The jounin straightened himself and followed the younger man to the other side of the room. Iruka grabbed two chairs along the way and placed them in the corner, near where the small Christmas tree stood. He sat down on one of the chairs and gestured for the silver-haired man to join him.

"Here, take a seat, Kakashi-san. They won't come all the way here. So you can enjoy yourself without any disruptions."

"Certainly thoughtful of you, Iruka-sensei. Thank you." Kakashi leaned back in his chair. "Anyway, aren't you going to dance?"

"Hm?" Iruka blushed. "Nope. I don't really dance well. And besides, it's not like there are any suitable partners over there."

"Aa…" Kakashi nodded. "I know what you mean. Finding the right one huh?"

Iruka shrugged. "Something along that line."

The two fell into silence after that. Neither said another word as they studied the people in the room. That is, until, Kakashi noticed something odd.

"Iruka-sensei."

The chunin jumped, snapping from his thoughts about a certain silver-haired jounin. Kakashi stared at him in amusement as Iruka felt the heat rising to his cheeks. "Um, what is it, Kakashi-san?"

"Did you realize?"

"Huh?"

"They are staring at us."

Iruka turned his head towards the dance floor. Sure enough, several couples were looking at them in amusement. Some had even stopped dancing as they stared at him and Kakashi, wide-eyed. Iruka frowned.

"Uh, what?"

Kakashi shrugged. And it was then, he caught the eyes of Asuma. The bearded jounin was hinting at something above him.

Above him?

Kakashi glanced up and his eye widened in surprise. Slowly, he lowered his head, as he scratched the side of his head, wondering how he should tell the academy teacher.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei."

The chunin turned towards the older man. "Yes?"

"I think I may have found the reason why they are staring at us."

"Oh?" Iruka frowned slightly. From the jounin's reaction, this doesn't bode well.

"Ah well, the reason is above us, Iruka-sensei."

"Above us?" Iruka stared in confusion. Slowly, he lifted his head to see what was exactly so interesting above him.

The mistletoe.

The chunin's eyes widened in horror. Or wait, probably a dream come true? No! Iruka shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the older man.

"Um, I have no idea how it got here. It wasn't supposed to be here. Um, I mean, uh…."

"Hey, the mistletoe's there. Shouldn't you kiss?" A cheerful voice chirped in. Iruka growled, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He stood from his chair, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted as he advanced towards the crowd, spotting the one person he was looking for.

"Anko!"

The kunoichi had a good sense of danger. She held up her hands in defense even as she began to edge towards the exit.

"Spare me, Iruka! I wasn't the one who put it there!"

=-=-=-=-=

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**To storybookpuppy: Thanks. Yeah, it's been a while. ^_^ But I'm glad you like this story though! Anko has always been one of my favourite characters and I do somehow feel that there's some kind of a bond between her and Iruka. (Though they don't really interact much in the anime.) But well! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you will enjoy it too!**


	3. And They Lived Happily Ever After?

**A/N: And here we go; the final chapter! Merry Christmas, everyone! Warmest wishes from me to you!**

**I'm beginning to think though, that I may be torturing Anko a little too much.**

**Many thanks to KakashiKrazed, Ryu Earth, deviltiger, RetickLover, Paradox1313, Serenityofthematrix, heavensangelQ, Lady of the frozen black flame, Wordsplat, tearfularcher, ChibiOokamiGirl, The-Lady-Smaell, XxxblackpearlxxX, Dancing Roses and Sunny Rain, storybookpuppy, sara, kathia and gigi for your amorous support for this fic. It's really been a while since I wrote and I didn't think I did well on this fic considering it was pretty random. But, your encouragements has made it possible for me to finish this fic! I appreciate every comment, encouragment, note and review. Thanks so much!**

**So well, enjoy this last chapter and until the next story!  
**

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Chapter 3: The Ending

It was nearing the end of the night. By now, most of the shinobi at the party were already half-drunk.

Iruka sighed. He should have never allowed for alcohol at the party. Not only does it gave him problems about inebriated shinobi at the end of it, he had also caught some of his former students, Naruto and Kiba for instance, trying to grab for themselves some of those alcoholic beverage.

As he listened to some of the nonsense that the half-drunk group around him was sputtering, his gaze found itself towards the other end of the room, where the copy nin was lounging with his friends.

He didn't dare approach the older man, for fear that something similar might happen again.

After the first mistletoe incident, he had had Anko trussed up in some corner of the room to make sure that she doesn't try anymore tricks. But, what was perplexing was that even after that, whenever he stood next to Kakashi, he would naturally find the mistletoe above them.

He was beginning to wonder if it was pure coincidence or that Anko had placed some kind of a jutsu on the mistletoe. After three other mistletoe incidents, he had kept his distance from Kakashi. He did not want to be embarrassed anymore than he already had or give the copy nin the idea that he had something to do with it.

Iruka let out a frustrated sigh, drawing the attention of his friends.

"What's wrong, Iruka?" Izumo eyed him with concern.

"Nothing." The tanned chunin took a glance at the wall clock. It was almost midnight. "Just thinking that maybe we should wrap this up soon."

"Not… zo…soon…" Kotetsu grinned at his friends, his sober mind already losing its battle to the alcohol. "There za…. Still time…"

"Ugh, Ko, you can barely stand." Izumo scowled as he struggled to support his friend.

"Am not… I still remember." A silly grin plastered itself on the spiky-haired chunin's face. "Ruka, you did…za… not kiss Kakashi-san. Hic. You were under…za…mistletoe…" Kotetsu held up his hand as he peered closely at his fingers. "Fouur times, Ruka…."

"That's enough, Kotetsu." Iruka rolled his eyes.

"Oh, but he's right you know, Iruka?" Izumo grinned, even as he tried to support his intoxicated friend. "You did not even kiss Kakashi-san once. You are breaking the tradition of Christmas!"

"Whoever heard of such a tradition?" Iruka glared, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"We all know about that tradition, Iruka." Iwashi came up beside them, chuckling as Iruka groaned and hid his face behind his hands. "You are supposed to kiss the person who's under the mistletoe with you!"

That statement was enough to catch the attention of the other mission room workers. All of them crowded around, chattering incessantly and teasing Iruka mercilessly about the mistletoe incidents.

Iruka rubbed his temples in frustration, his face flushed red.

This is going to be a long night.

=-=-=-=-=

The village's clock had chimed twelve moments ago. Everyone in the room was exchanging greetings and well-wishes. Iruka sighed and glanced out onto the quiet street, lit up with festive lights.

"We are leaving, Iruka." Izumo staggered up, drawing Iruka's attention back into the room. Izumo shifted a drunk Kotetsu's weight as he sighed and gave the academy teacher a tired smile. "I need to get this drunkard home."

"Sure. Do you need any help?"

"I'm fine with it." Izumo turned to his inebriated friend. "But I better get him out of here before he pukes all over your carpet."

"Uh huh." Iruka nodded and smiled. "Merry Christmas to you, Izumo."

"Merry Christmas to you too." The chunin winked. "We will see you tomorrow at lunch."

Iruka watched as Izumo dragged Kotetsu out of the door. A few others of his less-than-sober colleagues bade him farewell as well, as they staggered out of the room, laughing and singing off-tune some Christmas carols which Iruka had no idea where they learnt it from.

Slowly, the guests began to clear. Iruka stood by the door, wishing them well and thanking them for coming. Then, he came face to face with an irritated Raidou, who had an incoherently mumbling Genma on his back.

"Told him not to drink so much." Raidou snorted. Shaking his head in exasperation, he turned to the chunin at the door and smiled. "Thanks for the invite, Iruka."

"A pleasure. I'm glad you both came. Well, take care of Genma-san. I will see you at lunch tomorrow."

Raidou nodded and raised his hand in farewell. He stepped through the threshold at the doorway and made his way down the corridor, adjusting the weight of his baggage every so often.

Iruka stood at his spot, watching in amusement as the two jounin disappeared down the stairway. He turned towards the next guest who was leaving, only to be greeted by a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"We will be going too, Iruka." Kurenai winked. "Remember to free Anko before you go to bed."

The brunette chuckled at the thought of the kunoichi who was still tied up at his balcony. "She was pretty much enjoying the attention she was getting despite being unable to move." The chunin shook his head in amusement. "Everyone was giving in to all her requests."

"That's Anko for you. She knows how to threaten people into submitting to her even when she's clearly at a disadvantage." Kurenai laughed. "Well, see you tomorrow and Merry Christmas."

"Same to you both." Iruka nodded as Kurenai and Asuma made their way out of his apartment. The chunin let out a happy sigh and turned to the next person.

He froze as his cheeks colored red. He was beginning to think that he had never blushed as much in his entire life as he had that night.

Kakashi smiled and lifted his hand towards the chunin. Iruka stole a furtive glance above him, praying with all his might that nothing would happen.

No mistletoe.

He sighed with relief and shook the jounin's outstretched hand. Kakashi's eye arched up in a smile.

"I've enjoyed myself tonight. Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

"Um, it's a pleasure to have you here too, Kakashi-san." Iruka offered up a small smile. "So, I will be expecting you at lunch tomorrow."

The copy nin nodded as he retrieved his hand. Raising his hand in a half wave, he stepped out of the apartment and left.

And it was only then that Iruka noticed the slip of paper pressed onto his palm. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he scrutinized the piece of paper. Slowly unfolding it, he read the short message inside.

He was silent for a while, not even realizing when the last of his guests cleared out of his apartment. After a long moment, his fingers closed over the piece of paper and then, he turned on his heels and ran out of the room.

=-=-=-=-=

Iruka swallowed hard as he approached the figure lounging against the tree in front of his apartment building. He certainly hoped he hadn't misunderstood the meaning behind the message.

As he walked nearer, the figure stepped out from behind the shadows and a hand was raised in its trademark greeting.

"I didn't expect you to follow after me so fast. Weren't there still guests in the room?"

"Uh well, they had left." Iruka scratched the scar across his cheeks in embarrassment. "I, um, I…"

A light chuckle rang in the quiet streets. Iruka mustered up what little composure he had and managed a small smile.

"So, why did you ask me to come out here for, Kakashi-san? We could have just talked in the room."

"Ah…" The jounin stepped forward, a bright smile on his face. "I didn't want to invite more gossips."

Before Iruka could even question what the older man meant by that, the copy nin had already closed the bit of distance between them, his face leaning closer towards the chunin.

"Eh? Um, Kaka –"

The lips pressed against his own cut off whatever he had wanted to ask. Iruka's eyes widened in shock. He could barely gather enough of his senses to react. And the lips were gone as soon as it came.

The heat rushed to his cheeks, as he gradually regained his senses. He gaped at the older man.

"Ka… Kakashi-san! What was that?"

"Ah, we were under the mistletoe four times tonight. But we didn't even kiss once." Kakashi's eye arched up happily. "Now, you still owe me three more times."

"What?!" Iruka stared at the copy nin incredulously.

"You don't understand? Then perhaps I should show it by my actions then."

Iruka clamped a hand over his mouth, even as he tried to recover from his shock.

Kakashi chuckled as he studied the comedic expression on the younger man. Then, his gaze turned serious as his eye met the brown orbs that were staring at him in mild confusion.

"You understood the meaning behind my message, didn't you? That was why you came to meet me right?"

Iruka wasn't sure how he should answer that. He scratched the scar across his nose nervously. "I…"

"Unless I'm mistaken, and you do not like me that way?" The jounin raised his eyebrow questioningly.

Iruka gaped, unable to reply. Whoever knew that the legendary copy nin could be so straightforward? He raked his brain for a reply. But all that came up was emptiness.

This was definitely too sudden.

"Well, probably I am." Kakashi turned on his heels and raised his hand. "Good night, Iruka-sensei."

"Eh?!" Iruka stared at the retreating back of the jounin. What was happening? One minute, Kakashi was saying something that sounded remotely like a confession and the next, he was walking away, leaving Iruka stranded on the streets.

This infuriating jounin! Iruka clenched his fists as he made up his mind.

To hell with misunderstandings. He wasn't going to waste time trying to analyze what the jounin was thinking. He would just take things at face value and he would deal with other problems at a later time.

Kakashi smiled as he heard the hurried footsteps walking after him. Stopping in his tracks, he turned and grinned at the younger man. Reaching out a hand, he gave Iruka a wink. "Let's go for a walk."

The chunin smiled. Taking the hand, he closed the remaining steps and stepped up next to the taller man.

A note fluttered onto the soil under the tree. The scribbling on the plain piece of paper was beginning to smudge from the moisture on the grass. But Iruka knew, he would never forget the message that Kakashi had written that night.

'_I'm beginning to think that my sanity has finally snapped when I decide to believe for once, in the magic of Christmas. But it probably ain't that bad if I am not the only insane one. If you think you can trust in this magic, then I'm waiting by the tree in front of your apartment.'_

=-=-=-=-=

Epilogue

The two figures stood silently at the beach, just enjoying the companionship. That is, until, Iruka was reminded of something.

"I can't understand it."

"What?" Kakashi turned to look at the younger man.

"How in the world did those mistletoes always get to where we are standing? Anko couldn't possibly have been able to do anything when she's being tied up."

Kakashi stared at the chunin for a full minute. Then, a soft chuckle escaped his throat.

Iruka glared at the older man. "What's so funny?"

The jounin shook his head in amusement. "I would have thought you would have noticed it."

"Notice what?" The teacher frowned in confusion.

"You mean you didn't recognize the two chakra signals that have been following us around the entire night?"

Iruka eyed the older man suspiciously. "There was?"

"I think you are much too occupied with Anko to even realize that she had accomplices." Kakashi grinned. "You of all people should have been able to recognize Sakura's and Ino's chakra signals."

"Huh?" Iruka blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he had just been told. Then, the conversation he had with Naruto before the party resurfaced in his mind.

"_Sakura-chan and Ino said they will help."_

"Those two brats!" Iruka seethed. "They were the ones who placed the mistletoes there!"

"Uh-huh." The silver-haired man grinned. He stepped closer to the younger man. "But aren't you glad it turned out well?"

"Probably." Iruka groused. He would have to teach those two girls someday, that they should just mind their own affairs and stay out of adults' love problems.

But all those thoughts were buried away when Kakashi leaned in, ready to claim his second kiss of the night.

The distance between them was gradually closing. Their lips were almost going to meet when Iruka widened his eyes in realization.

"Oh crap." He whispered. Kakashi frowned at the disruption.

"What?"

"I forgot to untie Anko. She's still trussed up and hanging from the ceiling of my balcony."

=-=-=-=-= 


End file.
